The Next Demigods
by Shellymer
Summary: Dylan, Melia, Ray, and Addy have all led pretty normal lives.Not for long!with original Characters! Danger and Adventure: OPEN AT OWN RISK;  haha
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N) First Fanfic! YAY! Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson Series, but I think that Rick Riordan is an absolute genius. Hope I get that good one day:) Oh my gosh, nothing means more to me right now than your reviews. Dear readers, help me. I'm an artist. I act, sing, write. I can take it. Gimme whatcha got.**

**Sum: Dylan lives on the east coast with his aunt June. Melia's a true-blue Cali girl. Raymond's suffering as the nerdy kid in Florida, and little Addy is in Seattle, at a boarding school for girls. But when each one is intercepted by strange men in black suits, they learn things about themselves... and their families. (Percy and other PJO characters will come in soon - in case you haven't guessed, they are all related. But not as you might think...) Join these four talented muti-demi-gods as they take on the most adventurous, romantic, crazy quest you've ever been on.**

**but this isnt the best chapter:)) haha HONESTY... it sucks.**

I always oversleep on a test day. Without fail. At 8:15, twenty minutes after I should've woken up, I grab my water polo bag and my keys and run out the door, chugging a glass of water and munching a granola bar as fast as I can. I slide into the seat, yell "Bye, Aunt June! See you at three!" buckle up, and speed out of the driveway towards Jackson High. Now, I drive a beat up old car that I fixed myself with my buddy Matt. He really is good with tools and stuff. I speed into the parking lot, 8:28. Two minutes. I dashed up the step but of course I wipe out on the top one. I hit hard. Blood spurted out of my nose and my neck hurt. I get myself to the bathroom and clean up. A freshman spots me coming out and shrieks from the sight of my bloody face. She was pretty cute, but she screwed my entire day; the nurse rushes out and I'm detained for half an hour before I can get to Mrs. Slater's class. I have a suspension if I'm late again. And here I am. I groaned. Although little did I know how this would change the whole course of my life.

When I finally wrench open the door to room 35, Mrs. Slater turning sharply towards the door, tapping her stupid little pointed shoe, and glaring daggers at me. For a skinny little old lady, she's pretty darn scary. She's one of those old ladies with blue hair, and her eyes… they're like a bird's. A ravenous, hungry, evil bird. They're beady and dense and ebony black.

"Where were you, ?" she asks me, expressionless but for her freaky eyes.

"I tripped… fell… bloodied up my face a bit. I had to go to the nurse," I said. "Do I get a pass, just this once? I was injured!"

She cocks her head and considers me.

"Mr. Merrick, this is the seventeenth time you have been late to my class this semester alone. You say you were INJURED - bah. Injuries only happen to… the weak" she says her words slowly; enunciates them. She takes small steps forward, her voice rasping, her shoes clicking. I'm hyperaware of my girlfriend Sarah's eyes on me. I want to glance back pleadingly, but I'm hypnotized.

"All of us carry wounds, young man. Every person in this room showed up to class today. I bear the deepest wounds in the world, yet I am here. To allow yourself to be detained is to be weak. To feel pain is weakness. Are you weak, Mr. Merrick?"

My fists balled. She was provoking me.

"Are you weak, Mr. Merrick? Answer my question."

"No, Ma'am," I said quietly, my voice betraying my anger.

"This is where you are wrong. You are weak, helpless, irreverent, and disobedient. What kind of future is there for a boy detained by weakness? Who can't do his homework and is never on time to class? What kind of man will you become with so many predestined flaws in your character? What hope is there for you? Incompetent boy! You disgust me. What, Dylan, will you ever do in your life? Nothing. You are nothing."

It took everything I had and more not to knock that old lady to the floor. I'd been dealing with people like her my whole life, from the counselors saying I was "special" when I was a little kid and developed an obsession with being a whale and wouldn't leave the team swimming pool to the people giving me the IQ tests, gently telling Aunt June how below average it was. How the best she could do was send me into the programs for the dumb kids. For the impaired kids. For the kids with no hope. I'm not particularly emotional, but it really wears on a person, you know? I mean, maybe that's not YOU, personally, but if you think heard enough about it, I'm sure that you could understand.

I ran out of that room. I didn't know where I was going to go, or what I was going to do. I didn't have a hall pass, so I wasn't going anywhere near the office. I wasn't going to my locker, what would I do? I stood for a moment outside the door in rage and confusion. Could I leave? What other strikes would make a difference on my permanent record? What's the big deal? Senior year here has no appeal to me, anyway. I'll already get accepted to any college I want because of my athletics. I can't think straight. I go out to the school pool and dive in, clothes and all.

Instantly, the water washes away all trace of confusion. I surface after swimming two laps without breathing, and sit myself up on the edge. I hold out my hand to six inches above the water and… I can't really explain it. It kind of feels like there's this golden light shooting from the back of my mind out to my hand and it raises the water without me having to touch it. A minute later, I'm holding a floating sphere of water six inches above my hand.

And that's when I had my horrible idea; made my fatal mistake.

Channeling every bit of power I had, I sucked up each drop of water in that pool up into a giant mass of floating chlorinated liquid. The pain was terrible. I felt like Atlas holding the world above my head. The sphere was huge, as big as a living room, and floating a foot above my head. It was beginning to glow. I had never done anything this huge, in case you hadn't guessed. I felt like I was going to faint, but I couldn't. My anger kept me focused on the task. And slowly, I began to step towards the classrooms.

It was a good thing that room 35 was so close to the pool. I didn't even have to walk down a hallway. The back window was open; the perfect receptacle. I was panting from just five minutes carrying this mass. The next part… I'm not even exactly sure how it happened, but the golden light gave a thrust and went dead, and the water flew from me quiet as a mouse and into the classroom of my unsuspecting peers.

Shrieks ensued. But when I looked up, there was Mrs. Slater, glaring at me as always, her creepy eyes keeping me hypnotized.

And she wasn't wet at all.


	2. Chapter 3

**A/N: You people make me SO HAPPY! I have REVIEWS! Keep them coming. You guys wanted Annabeth and Percy, so we can toss them in a little earlier than planned. But you guys also tell me: do you guys want some romance? because in this, Percy and Annabeth aren't married yet, they're too busy on quests and such. (actually, they're gonna end up saving the kids) But I was maybe thinking getting them hitched here sometime? Any takers?**

**thanks for everything. you guys are brill.**

The best day of my life was the day that all my problems really began.

I should explain something first. I'm like… the kid genius. The nerd that gets bullied. You've seen my kind in pretty much every movie and book. The geeky genius with the pocket protector (really, quite useful) pining away for the popular girl.

So on the first day of school, I checked my schedule one more time to make sure that I wasn't hallucinating. Yes, I was supposed to be in this class. I checked the seating chart. Yes, I am sitting next to Allison Terry, the absolute cutest girl in the seventh grade. It was actually hard for me to tear my eyes off of her perfect red hair when the teacher walked into the classroom. Mrs. J, the kids called her. All the kids in the older grades loved her, and looked back on her really fondly, including my older sisters. Well, they're really not my sisters. My parents died when I was really young, and I live with distant relations and their children. Anyways, Mrs. J had very intelligent dark eyes and blonde hair caught up in a ponytail. I immediately recognized my kind: a nerdy dweeb. She just had this aura of intelligence.

She went through the housekeeping of day 1 back at school, showing us where to get pencils if we lose them, handing out syllabuses, explaining the rules for a fire drill, giving us our reading lists, and so on. And then, we had a pop quiz.

She handed it out as nonchalantly as ever. She said it was just for her to gage how much we know. But there was something in her eyes, something when she handed me my test… she looked at me differently, as if I was some kind of experiment, not a normal seventh-grader in Biology 1. She went back behind her desk and picked up The Theban Plays, Sophocles, (which is an excellent books of plays) and I turned my attention to the test.

Name three ABIOTIC things in this world.

Rocks, water, and fire. 

I eat meat only. What am I?

A carnivore.

I had completed only two questions when the fire drill bell rang. Of course, the rules that had just been laid in front of us took no effect and the entire class ran outside shrieking. I carefully packed up my things and followed.

I quickly realized this was no drill. Kids were running everywhere and smoke issued from several windows of the school. Mrs. J was rushing us out of the hallway. She had pulled out a baseball hat (I had no idea why) and was herding us towards the field where we were to line up in case of an emergency. I rushed forward to catch up with the rest of the class, and when I looked back, our teacher had vanished. I had to run the whole was to the field to keep up with my classmates. The faced away from the fire and our collapsing school, towards the creek behind the chain-link fence in front of us, like we had been told to do. I heard fire trucks come to the school. Some girls began to cry, and the teachers were graviitiating towards the kindgergarten class to calm the frightened babies. The creek ran solidly in front of me. Amongst all the crying and smoke, I thought I heard laughter coming from somewhere near the mouth of the creek. A lady's laughter. It was high and burbling like the creek itself. But then it disappeared before I could see anything. Probably three hours later, someone blew an air horn and the principal began yelling at us not to panic, but to file into a single line and walk to the buses, which were unharmed. I was jostled and pushed but ended up in line. We began to walk away from the school, and we got to sneak a peek. Firemen were all over the scene, spewing glistening water over the wreckage. Men in black suits were comforting teachers and nurses and sobbing cafeteria ladies and taking notes from them. Parents' cars were beginning to arrive and they were rushing out to meet their children, crying rivers. Kids were shaking and coughing and tears streamed down their dirty faces. I had never been this shaken up in my life. All I wanted to do was go dive into the creek behind me with the nice lady laughing. Going for a swim always made me feel better about everything. But I couldn't. I had to keep walking.

My eyes were so clouded with smoke and tears that I almost didn't notice the tall, dark man in black coming towards me. He grabbed me by the arm and the line of kids behind me stopped. He looked up at the teacher escorting us out nearest to me.

"Excuse me, Ma'am, but can I borrow this young man for a few minutes?"

He had a deep, gravelly voice, slow and scary. I noted a thick scar aboue his left eyebrow, like a kife wound, and began wondering how he got it. maybe he was in a movie with Jackie Chan and… oh, there it is again. ADHD in the worst time and place. To my horror, the teacher nodded and the man began leading me across the field toward the fire trucks and shiny black cars and… Mrs. J? she was stading in the middle of a clump of the scary men in black suits, arguing with them about something. A little ways off, there was a man who had just gotten out of a new car running towards them. He looked like he could have been a parent, but he wasn't going towards where the rest of the kids were lining up. I registered something suddenly. _The rest of the kids. Why was the whole school headed for the buses, and I was being lead towards a group of scary grown-ups? Did they think I started the fire? Am I going to be questioned and placed under arrest?_ The man kept running towards where we were going. He had dark hair and seemed pretty tall and strong from what I could see, but these men didn't look happy to see him and if a fight went down, was pretty sure he was going to pull the short straw. In fact, the men looked so unhappy to see him that they drew long swords out of their jackets. And the man clicked a ballpoint pen that transformed into a sword and they began to fight.

**R&R!**


	3. Chapter 4

**(A/N) thanks for the reviews. MORE!**

**romance in a few chapters, KAYO?**

**Addy POV this time (PERCY AND ANNABETH ARE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! IT'S ALL OKAY!:))))**

The buses were being loaded. Girls piled on, all my friends. It was eight on a Monday night, and our whole sixth grade was going to observe stars out in the middle of nowhere. Probably wasn't the wisest thing that the school could allow us to do, but our teacher, Mr. B, was really into letting us do crazy things in science class. Our latest chapter was astronomy. I was actually kind of wondering how we were going to do on our finals this year because we only had a week of each subject but we've been studying astronomy for almost four months now. I loved the constellations. They were so beautiful. Sometimes I wondered how I would look as a constellation. Constellation Adonia. No, I hate my real name. They could just call me Constellation Addy.

The bus's silver sides glistened in the moonlight. I was near the back of the line, and I had a lot of time before I had to get on the bus. I turned around behind me. It was kind of spooky to see the halls of the Academy that I knew so well shrouded in darkness and mystery and danger. Little lights that led up to the dormitories for the younger class were lit so that us little sixth-graders could find their way to the buses tonight were flickering and I was seized with fear.

I thought I saw a shadow rippling across the walls and I spun around, panting. I grabbed my hair and began to stroke it. This was my nervous action. My hair was long and soft and really pretty. It was dusty-blonde colored and my eyes were like chocolate milk. I think I'm pretty. I'm prettier than Courtney McIntyre, anyway. She's so annoying. ADHD! Getting in the way again!

I heard a creepy four-note tune from down the hall. It was so… ethereal. Like the Siren's song, it was begging me to follow it, to come closer, to sing back. Against my will, my voice repeated it. I heard a small, deep laugh. I turned around again and faced front.

_It's just your imagination, Addy. It's just your crazy, pre-teen imagination. _

Once more, I heard the tune. I held my voice steady and bit my tongue.

I tried, I did! I tried to turn around and forget it! I promise! It was so hard, though. My insides writhed and the back of my neck tingled. The fear was keeping my stock still. The sounds of Taylor Cherry talking to Courtney McIntyre about Zack Perry from the boy's Prep school down the street seemed far away and the tune came again, louder than anything. I kept my eyes ahead, trying not to think about the shadow. The girls were talking and laughing and some huddling and commiserating about the cold. Lip gloss wands were being swiped across lips and hair was being brushed in anticipation of leaving the Academy. The parent chaperones were loading the kids onto the bus. Mr. B was glancing back at the line and also at his clipboard. He seemed slightly worried. I looked up at him and he saw my eyes. I saw him shake his head ever so slightly and he began to make his way towards me. But the line was very long, and kids asked him questions on the way down, like:

"Mr. B, are we going to get blankets on the bus?"

And

"Are there going to be… boys there?"

He didn't stop to answer them. Now he was staring intently at me, looking stricken and vigorously skaing his head side to side. But my eyes blurred and he became a blob. I feel certain that were he not in a wheelchair, he would be sprinting towards me. But at this second, I heard the tune again, and I could not resist. I slipped behind the corner, and was met by a pair of hand around my mouth like a gag, holding me back and stopping my scream before it got out of my mouth.

That was the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.

**R&R**


	4. Chapter 5

I didn't know what to do.

This is a rare occurrence for me. I'm a daughter of Athena, mighty Athena, wise Athena. But the situation… it just confused me. Percy was no help, either. We'd Iris-message eachother in the dead of night and have chats about the kids, but it all didn't add up right. It added up all wrong.

Let me explain. I'm Annabeth Chase, and my boyfriend, Percy Jackson and I are seekers. We find those few particularly powerful demigods and bring them to whatever camp they belong in- Jupiter or Half-Blood. It's a pretty routine job. I mean, we're a step above the satyrs who find all the normality – the daughter of Demeter, who made the plants in their school greenhouse shoot up the roof; the son of Hecate, who suddenly made all his classmates deaf in a whirl of rage; the little kids who are already attracting monsters because they are the bright little sons of Zeus.

But Percy and I see the kind of kids that you don't just show the introduction video. We find the ones with an auro so powerful… you never know, anything could happen.

But let's get this straight now: we aren't those creepy FBI agents you see on TV. We're awesome, butt-kicking demigods that help young powerful half-bloods get to camp and discover their potential.

And lately, we've been on the trails of Dylan, Melia, Ray, and Addy.

We have demigods and tame monsters posing all over the place to keep these kids out of harm. But somehow, even the best of the best are letting them slip through their fingers. Even Chiron, the most experienced of us all, took a house call to pose as little Addy's teacher, and now even she is gone.

We are pretty sure of the parents. We think the kids came from Little Rome in Camp Jupiter. Whether they are Roman or not… we have to see them to be sure. From Dylan's actions, we're pretty sure he's favoring the Poseidon side of things, judging by his hose-down of his teacher's classroom last week. Melia's tricky… she seems to have slightly greater quantities of Poseidon and Athena, but still a few large doses of Aphrodite and Apollo. Ray – easy: the Apollo has him won, although he certainly isn't stupid. Addy is so little, but already we know her powers. She's an Aphrodite Apollo.

All the kids are tall and big: they're part god! We think that each of their parents were really powerful, too. I don't know how they keep all the powers in them from blowing them up from the inside. I mean, these are freaking powerful kids.

And we have to find them.


	5. Chapter 6

You'd think a guy could walk into his girlfriend's apartment with a few flowers and not have her collapse in his arms, crying and spewing out a lot of complaints about her day. But even Annabeth breaks down sometimes. And I'm her boyfriend. She's my weakness and I just can't stand to see her like that. Hey, even Annabeth has her days.

"I just don't get it! I hate not getting things!"

I whisper, "hey, hey. You get everything. Don't worry, we'll do this together. Actually, we have a good idea where they've taken the kids."

She sits up and looks me square in the eyes, and my heart jumps. I mean, she's not a model, but Annabeth is… so beautiful.

"really? You butthole, why didn't you tell me?" she teases me. "really, where?"

"Kansas," I say simply.

"what? You… what? …kidding… what's – what's there in Kansas?"

"the kids' powers don't work as well. They aren't near the sea, and there isn't much natural beauty. We were going to be headed there tomorrow. I was coming in here to tell you all this, but you started crying, and…" I trail off. I don't want to start a fight, and it just feels nice to have Annabeth's head resting in my lap. She's tall. I love it. And she's not one of those super-skinny girls either. She really is just perfect.

"But what are they doing to them in Kansas?" she asks.

"we don't really know. The men in black…" I don't want to say it. The truth is that they all seem to be rouge half-blood children of minor gods. I know this will stir Annabeth up, and she's been moody enough lately. It will remind her all too much of Luke.

We think that they are trying to extract their powers somehow. None of them must be children of Athena because I'm pretty sure it can't be done, but who knows what they'll do to the kids and these kids… they're in the next prophecy.

But I have to tell her. She's coming, too, and she needs to know the truth.

"they're demigods gone bad."

She doesn't say anything.

"Nico says he's in Elysium. He didn't go for rebirth," she whispers.

"yeah," I say, "but he says Luke is really happy. He's a hero, Wise Girl," I kiss her head, "like we are."


	6. Chapter 7

They yanked the gag out of my mouth and I screamed for all I was worth. I had no clue where I was; a huge blindfold obscured my vision. All I knew was… I'm in a chair, tied down. And I'm not alone. I could swear I just heard another scream. I shut up for a second and strain my ears. Yes, it's a girl. She's screaming. Her voice isn't high, but it's easy to tell it's a girl. She's in the next room over. I can tell already. I mean, if we're in rooms at all. For all I know, I could be in a garbage room like where Han Solo, Luke, and Leia get trapped and in a second here the walls are going to crush me into pieces of memory.

But, no, I'm sure there's a thin wall between us, and I can't hear it moving. So I figure I'm safe enough for now. I wiggle my hands and feet. The feet are all too secure, but my right hand bond – it's loose. Just the tiniest bit. I don't know how it happens, but I wiggle it out. I can feel my glasses on my lap and I grab them and undo my blindfold, shoving them on my face.

I'm in a whitewashed room. It looks sterile, surgical, medical, like a laboratory holding pen. There are no guards yet, but they probably are out in the hall. I free my feet and press my ear up against the spotless door.

I didn't hear the telltale sounds of combat boots patrolling the hallways or the breathing of another human. The screaming had ceased, and I was scared if that was good or bad.

I tiptoed into the hall, feeling very spylike. The next room was concealed by a thick-looking metal door; the industrial kind. The sign read:

Female – Daugther of:

And then there were four blank lines for which to obviously write who she was the daughter of.

I opened the door, to find a very pretty girl tied to a chair, asleep. She had light brown hair and she wasn't blindfolded.

I assessed her face. It was shapely. She was clearly not wearing any makeup, but her eyelashes were long and full, and her cheeks were free of blemishes. Her lips and nose were well-sized to her face and she was all proportionate. As far as her size, I was instantly reminded of a picture I once saw of Helen of Troy: with enough puppy fat to be beautiful and enough stature to hold power. I was entranced for a moment. Hey, she looked like she was a year or two older than me! She was an "OLDER GIRL."

Jeez, who knew that she'd turn out to be my sister? Thank goodness I didn't develop a crush on her. That would be SO creepy.

Anyways, I untie her and she jumps up and hugs me.  
>"You're one of the good guys. I could hear you screaming. I'm Melia. What's your name?"<p>

"I'm Raymond. Well, actually… uh… you can – er – call me Ray."

"Okay, Ray," she glances around the room and closes her eyes. We hear another scream; a little girl's.

"Let's go."

We dash down the hall and free a little girl with long, beautiful hair and cute little brown eyes. The two girls look so similar it kind of freaks me out. I begin to wonder if they're related, but this question is not the main question on my mind, the top ones being:

_What were they going to do with us?_

_How are we going to get out?_

_Where will we go?_

_Do we call the police?_

And

_What is going on?_

The little girl greets herself as Addy.

The three of us are huddled together against the back of Addy's room as we hear footsteps pass by in the hall. Any minute, they're going to realize that we aren't in our rooms and a lot of problems will ensue. I give us five minutes. At most.

"Listen up," I say to the girls. Addy is starting to cry and Melia is looking at me fiercely for the next plan of action, but I can see her hand shaking. "Do you guys know if there are ANY MORE OF US HERE?" I ask the last few words slowly. We need to know now or… I just can't imagine it.

"There was one more," Addy whispers, drying her eyes of tears and trying to put on a brave face like Melia, "an older boy. But… he's not in this hallway. I don't know where they took him."

Just then, we hear a loud yell, like a battle cry, on the floor above. A piece of the ceiling shook loose and fell around us.

"Twenty bucks says he's up there," I say. We find a service elevator and get up to the next floor as quickly as we can, keeping out of sight and ducking into closets when necessary. We come across a pool of blood.

"He must have been here," Melia says.

They still haven't sounded the general alarm. Whoever was hurt was dragged away so as to not cause a riot. We begin to follow a path of footprints.

And a few minutes later, we find him. Hastily stuffed in a closet, an unconscious man with a few slash wounds across his leg falls out. Melia screams and grabs my arm. He can hear footsteps coming. Marching. I turn and look at her annoyed.

We round four corners quickly, encountering no guards, but the footsteps were getting closer all the while.

On the fifth, I was met at sword point, gazing into the sharp blue eyes of an eighteen-year-old-looking handsome boy with dark hair.

"Who are you?" he asks this slowly as though he isn't sure we can speak English.

Melia steps forward. "It's okay, we were kidnapped, too. Don't worry. We're getting out of here. Come with us. I'm Melia, and this is Ray and Addy. They're going to get here in a few minutes. We need to move. Now."

Without question, the boy follows us. The instant trust this boy shows blows my mind. Trusting (without question) three younger kids when you don't have to? Trusting when you have a sword and can basically do what you want? No, thank you. I only put trust in these people because I had to. I had no choice but to follow with the pack and feed off their protection.

"Hey, dude, where did you get the sword?" I ask the guy. It's kind of suspicious.

"Oh, uh, long story," he shoots back, avoiding my question.

My heart beats a million times a minute. I have never been this scared in my whole life. But something primal has been activated inside of me, too. I feel stronger and like I know where I'm going, at least a little bit. I feel ready for combat. It's really strange.

We run around what seems to be a warehouse for upwards of twenty minutes, and still no alarm. I begin to wonder if the place is even attended to.

But for all the world we can't find an exit. I remember somewhere in a myth about the Labyrinth of Deadalus. It feels like we're there. All this endless, hopeless wandering to so tiring, I just want to curl up and die. My faith is escaping, my balloon deflating. The others are tiring, too.

But there it is! Like a golden bit of promise! Huge doors clearly marked "exit"! I feel like we may actually be coming up on the end of this awful, awful day when I see the hydra.

(In hindsight, I realize that it's strange (beyond strange) that I recognized a hydra on site, and even more strange that it didn't even faze me all that much. But at the time, that didn't register in the slightest.)

Its fangs are huge. That's the first thing I notice. I mean, I know that's standard for a mythological monster, but really, truly, it's the most frightening part. They glisten with saliva and the rest of him isn't all that pretty either. Green flaky scales covered in scars. Their heads resemble snakes with crowns. The toenails are huge, yellowed, and leave scratches all over the ground. That's when Addy passed out. But the older boy wielded his sword and came at the monster. I guess he'd had a bad enough day that all he wanted to do was leave, and it planted some kind of frightening courage in him. But with just a flick of its huge salamander foot (hand?) the boy was knocked several feet in the air and fell back unconscious. The hydra advanced.

Melia grabbed the boy's sword out of his hands and held it up; putting on bravery I didn't know she had. She raised the sword above her head, blew out a deep breath and…

Nothing. She didn't swing. She didn't run. She didn't do anything. Neither did the hydra. It had stopped dead, eyes trained on the glistening blade. And then, slowly, it fell. It fell forward, too, so Melia and I had to quickly drag the boy and Addy out of the way so that it didn't crush them. When it had hit the ground with a sickening thud and its spiny back was in the air, we realized that several daggers and a large sword with blue designs on the grip had been lodged into its flesh, the wounds issuing a thick purple liquid. Within second, however, the monster disappeared into golden dust, revealing a panting guy and a shaking lady clutching his shoulder standing behind it. The sword that had just been in the hydra's back was in the man's hand suddenly and the woman went about collecting her daggers.

The guy took a deep breath and ran his hand through his short, black hair. And I instantly knew who he was – the man at our school who had ran out and went sword to sword with the men in black.

The woman, however, was much easier to place.

"Hey, kids," she said, "why don't we get to the car?"

She was Ms. J.

And that's when we turned and the hallway was filled with men in black.


	7. Chapter 8

**thanks for the reviews! **

**which character should fall in love next? **

**in the next Chapter, all those who want to romance between Percy and Annabeth... you shall be sated. at least for a while. it's not dirty, but straight - up beautiful. it'll make you happy. **

**also references Leo/Hazel Juniper/Grover and (my FAVE) Piper/JAson. so would those me Lazel, Jover, and Pason? who knows? who cares? **

**read and review to make someone smile today.**

Melia POV

He looks us all right in the face - four confused, scared kids, and says: "your parents were next generation demigods. "

The car is still, silent. I feel the tension wrapping around us like vines, the questions leaping into our throats but dying on our tongues as we realize we don't know what we mean to ask. Addy's shoulders slump down against the seat. Though none of us knows what it means, we all think… hey, that feels right. Im not entirely sure what this guy is saying, but I think I might just believe him.

It's Dylan that laughs first. Then Ray. They're laughing too hard. They don't understand. They haven't thought.

"what's a next generation demigod?" Dylan guffaws.

"yeah," adds Ray sarcastically, "are they invisible or something?"

Dr. Annabeth Chase looks irritated.

"Gods. As in Greek and Roman gods. We think you might have some of both. We don't know why that hasn't affected you negatively. We need to run tests for sure. Your parents. Their parents were demigods. All of you. Siblings. I realize that this is a lot for you kids to process, but please try to bear with me. You are siblings. You were raised apart. The men in black following each one of you…" she hesitates. "they aren't the good guys. We are here to save you. Please trust us."

"either way, we have you strapped in the back of our van," snorts Dr. Percy Jackson.

Annabeth hits him. "they don't know what to do. Shut up, Seaweed Brain!" she sees our expressions. Ray's face is now impassive. Dylan is still processing. Addy looks scared. Me? I get it. Totally. Perfectly. I know mythology really well; I took several classes in it. And I think I have pieced together more than the others.

"so who are you children of, then?" I ask.

They looks surprised at how fast I've caught on, but Annabeth quickly gets a gleam in her eye and a smiles a little at me, like she's picking favorites.

"I'm a daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom, useful arts, strategy, and knowledge. Percy here is the son of Poseidon, water, horses, storms, all that good stuff," she smiles at him a little.

Something about this has made Addy perk her head up and her attention is suddenly focused on the two.

"Are you gonna get married and have babies?" she asks so bluntly it makes them both blush bright red and gives me a little peach flush in the cheeks.

They shake their head and tell her she's cute, but this leaves them unsettled.

Something hits me. "Dylan has more Poseidon. I think. Addy – she's more Aphrodite, right? And Ray… well, he's totally Athena!"

Ray pipes up. "Melia… she's definitely more Apollo."

That had never even crossed my mind but somehow… it seems right.

"that's what we were thinking," says Annabeth, "but like I said, we need to get back and run some tests. It's a long drive back to California."

"that's where the Roman camp is. That's where demigods and quartergods train to be heroes. Little Rome has a fantastic college. We'll know who you are when we get there," Percy adds. He kisses Addy's head. She's tired, I see it in her face. Even though I barely know her, I pull the kid towards me, and she rests her head on my chest. Percy gets in and starts the car. Annabeth slips quietly into the passenger seat and buckles up.

Surprisingly, Ray leans against Addy and sighs. In a moment of courage, I rest my head on Dylan's shoulder. For a moment, he stiffens. Then, like a good big brother would, we relaxes and strokes my hair.

Annabeth pulls out a little radio and whispers, "they're exhausted. We're headed back. We've told them…" again, she pauses, "everything."

As Addy sighs on my chest, Ray keeping her warm, Dylan stroking my head, I feel as if we are all becoming the family we always were.

**I LOVE MY REVIEWERS. but i want mooooooooreeee! gimme! gimme more! doo iitttt:))**

**anywhoo. please review.**

**i love you all. reviewing = quick, easy, and makes me cry (happily) and/or makes my day.**

**PLease also review with who SHOULD FALL IN LOVE FIRST?**

** a sweet little crush for Ray? a heady teenage romance for Melia? blind lust for Dylan? a little admirer for Addy?**

** also, I'm about to put in a new villian - give me your thoughts if you want to. just know you are making my day, truly.**


	8. A Little Explaining  AN

**Okay, so a short little A/N here. **

**My thought process was slightly not my favourite. **

**But the way I thought ov this is that the children had parents who were descendants of many demigods. i wanted every colour, every flavor, every power. i wanted to see waht exxactly would happen when you mix them. obviously, some will come out with more favourable traits than others, which is why Dlyan is better with the water and Addy is so into romance and such. **

**their grandparents and great-grandparents were gods and goddesses. i was considering making the kids less powerful, but they have so much magic&Stuff that i wanted them to be like muti-powerful demigods. **

**Sorry, should have explained better. but still is pretty cool:))**

**please R&R knowing this. brill. so. bye:)**


	9. Chapter 10

The kids asleep, Percy and I begin to talk.

"that didn't go that badly," he jokes, light in his green eyes.

I agree.

"that little girl – kind of a trip, huh?"

I agree again.

"we aren't even thinking about that stuff yet, right?"

I agree.

He lets it drop.

"We're going to see Piper and Jason at camp!" I exclaim. I had totally forgotten! Our friends. Sometimes, it's hard to get out of the habit of adventure, but when we're with them, we know it'll never end.

"That'll be awesome! Cant wait to meet little Helen," Percy chimes. Helen is Piper and Jason's new little baby. She's supposedly as beautiful as anything. Their son is certainly well named, little Adonis. He's got straight blonde hair and striking eyes – Piper's eyes. He loves to run around zapping things – the perfect weapon for a little five-year old boy. His hands that shoot electricity. Not.

"and Leo and Hazel…" I trail off, lost in thought. Hazel and Leo were married in Little Rome near the Little Tiber just a few weeks ago. Hazel's expecting their first baby, and Leo has no shortage of jokes about how fat she's getting, or her weird cravings, or her mood swings. Whatever their kid'll be like – WHOO! It'll be a handful.

I'm struck with a sad feeling that I need only look at Percy's face to know that he's sharing. Grover and Juniper have moved to San Francisco, he's an environmental nut and he fits in fine. Piper and Jason – beautiful, perfect demigods with a happy, pretty little family, full of love and warmth. Leo and Hazel – expecting their first, the joys of a baby and new family.

And me and Percy. Can't commit. Can't leave eachother. I know I love him. I know I want to be with him. But it's not clicking; and I'm waiting for Percy to make the first move on this crazy chessboard that is love.

And today, in the car, thank the gods, he does.

"Annabeth?"

"yeah?"

"I've been thinking about it forever, and I think there is something I've been procrastinating asking…"

I'm not stupid, and I know what is about to happen.

"yes,"

"what? How do you know what I was going to say? Look, I'm beating around the bush. This is taking forever, and I don't want that to happen or anything. Look, Annabeth, will you just freaking marry me? I'm not good at this. Here, I'll even pull over and, y'know, ask you right," he's blushing and flustered, but he pulls the car over without waking the kids. He does it right.

Down on one knee, at the side of the freeway, he asks.

And I say yes. Again.

And then, as I'm kissing him furiously, I realize something:

I'll always say yes.

**Review! **

**Also: like Piper and Jason? Read my other fanfic: the Graces - all about their kids and life. Review it when you;re done!**


	10. Chapter 11

The kids asleep, Percy and I begin to talk.

"that didn't go that badly," he jokes, light in his green eyes.

I agree.

"that little girl – kind of a trip, huh?"

I agree again.

"we aren't even thinking about that stuff yet, right?"

I agree.

He lets it drop.

"We're going to see Piper and Jason at camp!" I exclaim. I had totally forgotten! Our friends. Sometimes, it's hard to get out of the habit of adventure, but when we're with them, we know it'll never end.

"That'll be awesome! Cant wait to meet little Helen," Percy chimes. Helen is Piper and Jason's new little baby. She's supposedly as beautiful as anything. Their son is certainly well named, little Adonis. He's got straight blonde hair and striking eyes – Piper's eyes. He loves to run around zapping things – the perfect weapon for a little five-year old boy. His hands that shoot electricity. Not.

"and Frank and Hazel…" I trail off, lost in thought. Hazel and Frank were married in Little Rome near the Little Tiber just a few weeks ago. Hazel's expecting their first baby, and Frank has no shortage of jokes about how fat she's getting, or her weird cravings, or her mood swings. Whatever their kid'll be like – I cant wait to meet it.

I'm struck with a sad feeling that I need only look at Percy's face to know that he's sharing. Grover and Juniper have moved to San Francisco, he's an environmental nut and he fits in fine. Piper and Jason – beautiful, perfect demigods with a happy, pretty little family, full of love and warmth. Frank and Hazel – expecting their first, the joys of a baby and new family.

And me and Percy. Can't commit. Can't leave eachother. I know I love him. I know I want to be with him. But it's not clicking; and I'm waiting for Percy to make the first move on this crazy chessboard that is love.

And today, in the car, thank the gods, he does.

"Annabeth?"

"yeah?"

"I've been thinking about it forever, and I think there is something I've been procrastinating asking…"

I'm not stupid, and I know what is about to happen.

"yes,"

"what? How do you know what I was going to say? Look, I'm beating around the bush. This is taking forever, and I don't want that to happen or anything. Look, Annabeth, will you just freaking marry me? I'm not good at this. Here, I'll even pull over and, y'know, ask you right," he's blushing and flustered, but he pulls the car over without waking the kids. He does it right.

Down on one knee, at the side of the freeway, he asks.

And I say yes. Again.

And then, as I'm kissing him furiously, I realize something:

I'll always say yes.

**Review! **

**Also: like Piper and Jason? Read my other fanfic: the Graces - all about their kids and life. Review it when you;re done!**


	11. Chapter 12

**Where did my reviews go? I MISS YOU! come back, i need some advice to know where to take the story, or at least to know if you guys like it or not! i have big plans and longer chapters.. but i need me reviews!**

**but thanks for the 15 i have anyway:))**

**if you like my style or writing check out**

**The Sun and the Water (under characters, choose Apollo to find this one)**

**or The Graces, which has to do with Piper and Jason, as you know. **

**because i always ask you to review these.**

**because i care about your opionions!**

**_Anyways, I NEED TO ADD A NEW CHARACTER TO THIS STORY. PLEASE SUBMIT YOURS! MUST BE A DEMIGOD/NATURE SPIRIT. THE SIBLINGS WILL MEET THIS CHARACTER SOON SO I NEED ALL INPUT SOON!_ love you! more frequent updates soon!~**

Dylan POV

I have stewed for hours about this quest, torturing myself knowing that I can't do or know more than I do now until we get to camp.

We are here. The excitement is rushing all over me. I feel like I'm electrocuted. We're here. We've been driving for hours, and we are here.

It doesn't look like much, but it's true. That's enough for me.

Camp Jupiter.

Percy stops the car and we get out. Melia helps Addy and Ray get their bags, so I take hers for her. I wink at her and she winks back, and then gives me a little punch in the stomach.

The gateway to Little Rome is imposing. Once we get by it, Percy takes us to a very large building. It looks like the tallest building in the whole city. It is made or gold and upon closer inspection appears to be a hotel or some kind, judging by the windows framed with curtains on the inside. Lights turn on and lights turn off. We walk inside to a very extravagant lobby. Percy goes straight to the elevators.

"Annabeth'll take you up from here, ok? I don't really like the going up part," he says, gesturing to the elevator. "Get zapped every time I do."

We don't ask.

She already has her key card, which lets us into an enormous family-of –ten suite. Addy and Ray are running around shouting out all the cool things, from "PIANO!" to "XBOX KINECT!" Melia has picked out her room and she and Annabeth sit in very deep discussion. I can't hear them, but I know not to bother them. For me, I went out on the balcony and looked out at the bay. It is so pretty in the sunset. I can practically taste the water. If I could dive from here, I would. For a second, I think I see someone alone on the shore wave at me, but I must be wrong. They can't know who I am.

I don't even know who I am.

We eat a dinner of macaroni and cheese and some carrots. A meal for a little kid, but Melia, Ray, and Addy are eating it up. It seems silly to me. We sit in silence pretending to be clueless little kids when there is so much to know.

"So. What is it?" I ask bluntly.

Annabeth and Melia share a glance.

"What?" Annabeth asks innocently.

"What you two were talking about. You told Melia. I want to know. And say it in front of Addy and Ray, whatever it is. We need to know," I say. I'm getting a little annoyed. We can't just be tossed into situations like this and expect to handle things fine. A quest? I had no idea what that a few hours ago. I need some explanations.

Annabeth sighs and drops her fork onto her plate with a clink.

"We were discussing the quest; you know that. Melia… wanted to know a little more about it. She wanted to know who exactly it was you were collecting and why. It's kind of complicated and difficult, so it took a long time to explain and let her work out for herself. Our friend, Rachel, is the oracle. The oracle gives us prophecies that we must follow. Exactly a decade ago, when Percy and I were ready to leave camp – we wanted to go to the college in Little Rome here – right before we could leave, Rachel came and found us under the influence of the oracle. This is exceptionally strange, because, while Rachel will always come and hang out with us as a friend, as the oracle she is reclusive and never seeks anyone out to hear her prophecies. This is what she told us, all those years ago:

The four born of many shall go it alone,

The four of the sky, the lightning that shone,

The search for the next heroes is finally to fall,

When joined with the others they will rule all.

We think it means that you are supposed to find the demigods of Zeus. Four kids. The worst of it all is that we just got an Iris-message, and… you're leaving in three days, so after tonight you have a crash course on mythology, fighting monsters, and all kinds of demons to watch out for. I'm SO sorry guys, but, like always, we have to be done with this by the summer solstice. Bring back the kids. Do not fail. I won't tell you what she says will happen if you don't get them. I am so sorry, but I can't do anything. Please understand."

We say nothing.

Melia POV

I liked camp more than I thought I would. I just thought that we would get a little more time to be there. Well, we all thought that.

When we got to the camp, Dylan was led off one way with a bunch of dark-haired boys, Ray was drawn away by a lot of littler kids like him, and so was Addy. Me, I was pulled off in the direction of the classrooms with a girl who introduced herself as Sierra. She was a daughter of Ceres, she said. Her hair was very golden, and hung like in a sheet. Her eyes were brown. Her face had a sympathetic quality. She was several inches and several pounds larger than me. Each time I explained something bad, she clucked or gave my hand a little squeeze or wrapped her arm around my shoulders. She was like a very affectionate big sister or a mother. This was her last year at Camp Jupiter. She was going to be training me for the next three days.

Our first stop was the armory. I kind of enjoyed it, really. Since I had such short notice on my quest, I got my choice of two weapons. I chose a small dagger belonging once to Cassandra of Troy, and also a very long, balanced sword. It had inscriptions all up and down the blade, but these did not decrease its ability to function properly.

Next, we went shopping. There is a camp store, which, so appearing to the common eye is just a place for kids who forgot toothbrushes or deodorant to come and purchase, or maybe a soda or a T-shirt or a poncho. But in the back was a secret mall made by the Aphrodite girls. There was a nail and hair salon, a large jewelry selection, and an enormous department store, with everything from prom dresses to sports bras. Sierra went and got me a bathing suit, a very durable purple t-shirt, stiff jeans (which I'm sure I could rock if I tried) and boots. Beautiful, sturdy, practical, functional boots. I also got a pink zip-up sweatshirt that read: Rome Fishing, in San Francisco since 1909! Sierra declared this my uniform and we moved on.

Our next stop was our cabin. Since we were as of yet unclaimed or undecided, and we didn't know who exactly we were legacies of, nor did anyone want to have us in their legion seeing as we were so new and on probatio, we were put in a little lean-to, just us, because it was meant for only four max, with two bunk beds. I guess people got claimed or decided pretty fast around here. I claimed one top bunk for me and one for Ray, because I know enough about Ray to know he would be scared to sleep under someone. Then it dawned on me: The other kids know this, too. Would they have given Ray the bunk he needed anyway? I can't tell anymore.

Addy POV

I don't know how we would have survived without the next three days of training. I could shoot a bow and arrow perfectly (no surprise, thanks Apollo) and I was a whiz at the makeup table (the Venuses said it was essential to know in case we came across a cute boy) and I excelled at swim and dive. I could put up a good fight with my sword and my dagger was lethal. I hoped I didn't have to use it!

At the end of day 3, we were all laying in our room, sighing and thinking. Our clothes and weapons were packed. We had zipblocks of nectar and ambrosia and minds full of fears and worries. How any of us managed to sleep that night I have no idea. It felt like we were being thrown into the Hunger Games.

I could hear Dylan and Ray sleeping, their calm sighs puncturing my scared mood. I had to talk to somebody.

"Melia?" I whispered.

"Yeah?" I could see her moving by the nightlight we had planted in the wall. None of us liked the total dark.

"What's up, Addy? You're worried, huh? Talk to me," she whispered, shifting to face me.

"I'm just… I'm really scared Mel. I don't know… I don't know what's going on and… and I don't understand much. And I don't know if I should trust you guys. I mean, you're good-looking and you seem nice but… do you love me?" I don't know why I asked. It was stupid. We barely knew each other and then were supposed to be sisters.

She doesn't talk for a long time. I'm afraid she went to sleep to avoid my question, but I needed an answer.

"Yeah," she finally whispers, "yeah, I love you, Addy."

And I can fall asleep.

**R&R All and give me those possible characters!**


	12. A Change Author's Note 2

**a/n 2**

**yes, i had to change it! Looking back on that comment... FRANK CAN'T GOOOOO!**

**I need himwith HAzel, so while it was originally LeoxHazel, i realize FrankxHAzel is much better**

**love you reviewers! **

_**the rest of you...**_

_**You must become reviewers young padawans.**_


	13. Chapter 14  Character Contest: Needmore

**Send me those characters! Only my beloved OpalBeth has reviewed me anything (love you, BTW). **

**This will be the last character added.**

**Really! Help me out here? **

**Does no one love me ennyyymooooorrrreeeee?**

**-Shellymer**


	14. Chapter 15 Aphrodite

Dylan POV

The day breaks way too soon. At eight, all the campers are assembled in front of the portal to the mortal world. I get hugs from a bunch of cute girls I don't know, and this naiad gives me a kiss on the cheek, which just makes me feel awkward. I mean, I know it's hard to believe, but romance is kind of the last thing on my mind right now. I feel my pack; make sure I've got all my stuff. I pull a little list scribbled on a scroll (I know, right!) and stuff it in my pocket, fully intending to make sure I have everything before I get to far back into the mortal world.

I hoist Addy up onto my shoulder and Ray takes her backpack for me so she's lighter. We duck through the passage and into the sunlight of the real world. Addy shivers a little even though it's summer. We barely make if ten feet before Ray decides that now is the best time to check and make sure we have everything, so I pull the scroll back out.

Denarii

Drachmas

Map

Plane tickets into Madison, Wisconsin

$100 each

A water bottle

A sandwich

Nectar and ambrosia

Chapstick, toothbrush, and hairbrush

A change of clothes

A poncho and a jacket

Our weapons

Our shields

So our luggage was pretty much designed so that we wouldn't have to buy anything but a lunch tomorrow. Ideally, this would be a in-and-out quest; pick up and drop off. But we knew enough about quests to know that they never went off as planned.

We knew when and where to get on our flight. Oakland International wasn't exactly a beauty, but it did the job. The seats were cold and gray. Everyone, even the cashiers at the McDonald's, looked suspicious.

Ray was perfectly happy to sit on his laptop facing the runway, alternately watching planes and his videogame, a flight simulator. Yeah, dude. Because this is a quest, and you might ACTUALLY end up flying a plane!

Melia has her laptop out, too. She's getting a cab to take us exactly where we need to go: the kids are actually homeless. They have run away from three foster families and the oldest, the only girl, seems to have gotten a job at a gas station, while the boy (Melia's age) is a busboy. They live around an abandoned amusement park (**a/n Percy Jackson, anyone?)**, under cover of who knows what. It'll be a task enough finding them, let alone bringing them back.

She's also looking up places to eat, if we need something, contacting the praetor and some other contact she was given: a guy at Camp Half-Blood named Chiron.

Addy was all over the fashion and glamour magazines in the little gift shops. I told her not to, and to stay with us, but that girl has a mind of her own, and she's as stubborn as a mule when it comes to personal grooming and beautifying.

Melia hums a tune. Ray blasts enemy warships. Addy oohs over hairstyles. I twiddle my thumbs and worry about everything. How's my girlfriend? Is she okay? I miss her, but they told us not to use our phones except in case of an emergency. So I sit. And I wait.

"Boarding flight 302 to Wisconsin! Boarding flight 302 to Madison, Wisconsin!" the peppy woman with the shimmering golden hair says from behind the counter into a loudspeaker. "Unaccompanied minors first, everyone!" Is she looking at just us?

We get up while everyone else stays seated. I hand in our tickets. I never saw this lady too close before then, but she was stunning. I forgot where I was. Heck, I forgot WHO I was!

"Uh… derrrrr,"I say.

"Oh, thank you, dear!" she says, illuminating the world with her million-watt smile. "I'm actually going to be joining you on this flight today!" she holds up a ticket. "Oh, look at that. They're right next to yours! I'm sure we'll become good friends," she giggles. "See you inside!"

Ray POV

I didn't know how I felt about this lady. She was the most beautiful person in the world as far as I could tell, but she was practically hitting on Dylan. Ew. Weird. Something told me she was no normal creepy flight attendant. She was a mythological creepy flight attendant.

I sat on the other side of her, constantly dazed by her beauty. She asked us about school, ruffled our hair, and asked about our travels… it was as if she was some sort of distant relative who only saw us rarely but loved us like her own grandchildren because she had none. But of course, she wasn't that old.

And she was five million times hotter than any old great-aunt like that.

But then things started getting weird. She started prying into our love lives. I mean, Dylan had a girlfriend, and Melia had a little crush, and Addy liked celebrity mash-ups… But she took a special interest when I suddenly found myself saying to this STRANGER that I liked Allison.

"You sweet little devil!" she cooed. "Do you have her number?" I nod. "Here's what you do," she says, "Text her that you can't stop thinking about her eyes. They're imprinted in your brain," she pauses and closes her eyes, as if she's trying to remember what it is exactly Allison like to hear, "And tell her that her hair reminds you of a perfectly sunny summer day. Can you tell her that?"

I nod, because I figure I have nothing to lose with her, and this lady seemed to know what she was talking about. I made a mental note to text her when we landed. What on EARTH was there for me to loose with this girl?

The flight seemed to last forever, maybe because I didn't want it to end.

The lady was so nice. She smelled like a million different flowers and her lips were a pretty coral pink. Her eyes sparkled. Literally. Like a million diamonds were in her irises. Her cheeks were perfectly flush, her body fit and toned, her hair cascading down her back like a magazine ad without any need for retouching. Her laugh was like bells, her smile like a hundred light bulbs, and her cheeks like the innermost part of a perfectly pink rose, the lightest they come. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She introduced herself as Anna.

Melia POV

It didn't take me more than two seconds to figure out that this creepy lady stalking us was Aphrodite. Duh. Idiots. The boys drooling all over her. Get a brain! But all they had were, of course, eyes. I could wait to touch down and get off the plane. It made me nervous.

But she was a goddess and super-pretty. I decided I wouldn't mind getting a few DIY beauty recipes. So I played my hand.

"Excuse me, Anna? You are so beautiful. What do you do with your hair to get it like that? Mine's so… blah. Really, how do you do that? I'm SOO jealous!"

I giggle like a fool. She looks me right in the eyes and smiles like a teacher catching a student texting in class.

"Oh, Melia, let's just be friends. We both know I can fix any beauty problem you want me to, dear. There," and suddenly my hair felt fuller and thicker. A quick check in a compact mirror proved that my hair was now a creamier version of itself, my eyes brighter, my teeth whiter, my smile more alive. And my face caked with makeup.

"Gee, thanks… Anna," she winks and turns her attention back to my brothers (it's still so weird to say! My brothers. My brothers. My brothers?)

"Oh, I almost forgot! The very reason I came here in the first place!" she reaches into her yellow Kate Spade bag and pulls out a golden ring. "You're going to need this."

I'm only turning it over in my hands, about to thank her, when I look back and she's gone.

Seven other rings identical to mine sit in her place. One for each of us,

And one for each of our companions on the way back.

**What do you think? this is my main story, but if you like Calypso, Apollo, Piper, Jason, Percy, Annabeth, Mermaids, Nereid or OCs, then read my others.**

**REVIEW!**


	15. Chapter 16 Park O Fun

Ray POV:

The cab driver had one eye. In the center of his forehead.

But somehow this didn't really bother me. I mean, at least he could see, right? We told him to take us "where we needed to go," the exact words that we were told to say by Chiron. He nodded, made some kind of guttural sound, and sped off at, I don't know, FOUR MILLION miles an hour! Addy was shaking and holding on to the door for dear life, and Melia made little squeaking sounds. Dylan sat upright, a strange expression painted on his face, but you could tell that even he was scared about how fast the Cyclops was driving.

We squealed to a stop in front of: Fun n' Games: Hands-on Amusement Park! For good family fun.

It might have been fun, though. You know, for vermin.

It should have been condemned. Huge black tarps covered chunks of roller coaster track. The ticket booth was crawling with ants. All the places that once sold churros and funnel cakes and corndogs had boards whacked across their aging windows, and peppy paint was peeling.

The Cyclops had a little Jersey accent going:

"The guy you lookin' for? He's up there," and he gestures to what was the very peak of the roller coaster "Medusa".

"Don't worry, kids. He don't bite." He laughed maniacally and sped off, leaving tire tracks in the cracked asphalt.

We climbed over the rent-a-fence and scooted inside, exchanging scared looks with one another while still trying to watch where we were going. Any second, as I was consumed with fear, something mythological would jump out and try to eat us. I was convinced.

Dylan POV:

Ray wouldn't shut up! The kid was wailing about how sure he was we were going to have to fight something. He started rattling off names and types of monsters and beasts that hated demigods. He was just insisting that we all pull out our weapons when Melia coolly pointed out that whatever was going to eat us would have already fed on the kids that we were collecting who actually lived here, and that made him quiet for at least a minute, which was all we needed to catch a glimpse of a gold glare coming from under a tarp. Something had caught the sun. Then there was a small cough.

"Shh, shh!" I hiss, "Ray, shhh!" there was some kind of movement under the tarp because there was no breeze, and the hard black shell had given a shiver of life. But I heard nothing else.

"Guys. Stay here," I looked them right in all of their faces. I'd have taken more time to look at each one if I could, but we needed to move. If this was the kids under there, not knowing we were friendly, they could run. If this was a trap… I didn't know when I'd see them all again. But I knew one thing: I was going first.

"No way," Addy hissed, "you go, we go. You're my brother. I'm going with you."

"That's exactly why you're NOT. Look, Adds, they're going to run in a second. Please, I'll just be a MINUTE. Trust me."

She uncurls her small fingers from around my wrist and hugs me, breaking away quickly.

"Be fast."

I nod, draw my beautiful blade, and move towards the spot, which now is so silent I can feel the tension of the occupant (or occupants) under it.

You know that moment of terror in a movie when something unexpected lashes out at the main character, like Nagini in the second Harry Potter seven or the mutation in The Hunger Games?

That's exactly how I felt when Kyla Kelly's heavy spear was suddenly pointed at my throat.

My eyes travelled up the spear and into the eyes of the girl holding them. They were strangely brown. I wondered if we hadn't found a daughter of Zeus at all, but perhaps some daughter of Mars or Ares. Her brow was creased and her expression was warrior like. The only thing that gave her away was the toehead hair that curled out of her head. She pushed some behind her ear to keep it out of her menacing face while still keeping the spear trained on me. I didn't want to go into a fight with this girl. She looked about my age, maybe two inches taller than Melia and about twenty pounds heavier.

Gah.

My reflex already had my sword pointing at her. For some reason, we circled each other. When I'd found my voice, I said:

"Are you Kyla?"

"Why do you care?"

"We're from the Roman camp for demigods. We're here to rescue you. On a quest. You guys know you're demigods, right? They told us you knew, but didn't know how to get to camp. They were about to send a legion of fauns when the prophecy came up that told them to send us instead. So here we are," I drop my point in a gesture of friendliness, allowing her spear point open access to my throat, "I'm Dylan. This is Melia. That's ray and Addy. We're siblings. Legacies. Multiple god and goddess heritage," she is beginning to look frightened. Am I seeing this right? "I'm not going to hurt you," I say gently. Why isn't she dropping her point too?

After what seems like forever, the spear tip lowers. She looks exhausted.

"We know who and what we are. Guys! Come on out! We're okay this time," she says.

That's the precise moment I realize that the whole time, there had been a boy with a huge sword pointed at the back of my neck. He must have slipped out when Kyla did. This could only be her brother, sixteen-year-old Austin. He looked much more like a son of Zeus, what with the sandy hair and bright blue eyes. He ran to his sister and supported her. He looked to be about my height, and I was a pretty tall guy. Out of the black tarp crawled two kids – two boys. One was clearly the older, Jared, age ten. And one was very obviously Terry, who was six. Terry was like a mini of Austin, but Jared was curious. The kid had brown hair and brown eyes. I wondered about their mother.

"Kyla, who are they?" whispered Terry, "Are they going to try to kill us?"

Melia cracked a smile.

"We don't just kill you. We'll eat you, too!" she growls.

He shrieks and she looks like she didn't really mean to upset him and covers it with a giggle. "I'm kidding. We're the good guys. We're gonna take you to camp. There are no monsters there," she glances as Austin, whose eyes are trained on her. They both quickly look away and she hastily finishes, "so what is your name, little guy?"

"Terry," Terry says, holding up six fingers, "I'm six," he starts to walk around. "This is Kyla. She's my biggest sister."

"No kidding," says Ray under his breath. I step on his foot.

"And this is Jared. He's really smart and he can fly real good. Better than any of the rest of us. And he likes to make things. He made us our whole house." He gestures to the tarp tent. "It's really cool inside."

We all nod and say we believe him.

I begin to gesture at Melia. _Take the others away. I need to talk to Kyla. I don't want to freak the little ones out._

"And this is Austin. He's sixteen because he turned that yesterday and we got a cupcake each!" he actually jumps up and down.

"That's so cool!" Melia says, "and you are just adorable, Terry! Do you know what I grabbed in this backpack? Something you are going to LOVE! If you and the others come over here, I can give you each just a LITTLE pinch of the best food in the world, ambrosia! It's what the gods eat! We can't have much, but I can give you a little because it's SOO yummy!" and she has them all in her palms.

Heck, she could have said, "Let's go remove dog barf out of my great-grandmother's carpet" and Austin would have been right there behind her.

My sister got my message. I know I need to act fast before the others come back.

"How old are you, then?" she asks.

"I'm seventeen, okay? I know you are, too. Listen, we don't have much time before the monsters start smelling us, or that's what Chiron told us. Chiron's in charge of camp Half-Blood. That's where we're taking you, because we're closer to New York. Problem?" I sigh, "Yesterday I lost the tickets there. Yeah, I know. It's bad. But we need to get there, and soon. There's the good ol' summer solstice deadline: ten days. I know. Cliché, like all the other summer solstice deadline quests. But if we don't get back to camp by then…" I lower my voice, "can you keep a secret, Kyla Kelly?"

"Yes?"

"Don't tell the little ones. Your dad… he's angry that you all didn't get taken to camp soon enough. He didn't know where you were and didn't claim you and you were never on our radar. If we don't get you back to camp in ten days and instated as a normal camper… It's mine and my siblings' heads on the chopping block."

"I think I know," she says dazedly.

"Wait, how could you? I didn't even know until last night when I got a secret Iris-message from Chiron!"

"Well, how do you think I found out about being a demigod? How do you think your little camp found out about us? Dreams. Dreams, Dylan. I know because of my dreams that you are a friend. I know that we need to move. I know what's going to happen. Seen it already. We need to move quicker than you think. Get the kids, but don't let them know how dangerous the situation is. Especially Terry. Poor guy. He was only five when we ran away. I don't think he really got a childhood," she gets lost for a second, "so we have to move. Let's go."

We start to head back to the others when suddenly I'm struck with something I had almost forgotten.

"Wait, Kyla? The cabbie said something about 'a guy we were looking for.' Obviously, you aren't that guy, and he said- he said he was up there," I point, "does anything go on up there?"

And for the first time, she actually giggles.

"Well, I know you aren't a legacy of Athena then, are you, kid?"

I bristle at this. I get angry too easily.

"I am, actually, brown eyes."

A shadow crosses her face.

"So I'm not a Barbie with the blue eyes and all. Sue me for not looking like a daughter of Zeus. You idiot, the guy who hangs out up there is a god. This is a private renovation of Hephaestus. And you got to ask his permission before you leave, just like we asked for his permission before we came. Don't worry, he's pretty cool. Just don't ask him about his love life."

But man, I'm already shaking.


	16. Chapter 17  Hephaestus

**Sorry it took so long to update got very busy. Anyways, thanks for reading! I'm dropping The Graces. It was meant to be a one-shot, but there is a possibility of it being picked back up someday**

**So heere's the next chapter! Suepr excited. Can't wait to build relationships between these guys!**

**sReview!**

Addy POV

We trek single-file up the maintenance ladder that lead to the little control room at the peak of the roller coaster. The wind picks up at we get higher, and it's so violent even the sons and daughter of Zeus can't take it. It's making a disaster zone of my hair, that much I understand. Terry walks a little ahead of me, thank the gods, because he's super cute and I definitely don't want him seeing me look like this.

No one is looking at each other. Kyla and Dylan push past each other, each trying to lead us. Kyla because she knows where she's going and Dylan probably because of his male ego. Boys. Melia walks after them. She tries to look competent, but every now and then her foot slips and Austin, who is walking behind her, catches her and then quickly looks away. Good for them, but I want that hunky Terry to notice me first.

I'm the only one who makes quiet conversation with Jared. He's sooooo cute. And he says the cutest things in his little baby voice – it makes my heart melt, he's just that adorable. I hold his hand so he doesn't slip on the thin metal rails that we are precariously climbing. If he wasn't talking, the silence would eat up the tunnel. Everyone seems to be worried about meeting the god of the forges. Even Kyla's reddish face has lost its spark and looks grayish. Then Jared's toddler mumbling drifts off and the silence engulfs us. I can't take more than a minute of it, so I begin to sing.

It's the only camp song we learned while we were there – a little hymn to Hephaestus (favorably). It's an upbeat melody with praise to the misshapen god.

My siblings join me, and we gradually begin to teach the words to the other kids. Soon we're a choir, but we stop our tune abruptly when we reach the large, industrial-style door all too similar to the door we were held captive behind by the demigods and legacies gone bad. I shiver a little, but it goes unnoticed because of the chilled air in the tunnel.

"I'm going first," says Kyla with finality.

And she prods the huge door open.

Melia POV:

The god sat in a huge folding lawn chair facing a panel of buttons, levers, blinking lights and LED screens. Behind him was a huge workbench, the size of my living room back home, laden with bits and pieces of what were obviously tracks of coasters. He was supersized, like twenty feet tall, so we had pretty much just climbed the beanstalk and we were meeting the giant.

Hopefully he was the friendly kind.

It took him about a full minute to even look up from what he was tinkering with to acknowledge that we were even in the room. But he knew we were there because before he even poked his head up out of his thick old neck to look at us, he said:

"Oh, Kyla… leaving so soon, are we?"

Then he looked at her dark eyes with nearly laughter in his eyes. They were black. Not beady black. Not deep, malicious black. Just black. Like… like rubber tires. Like licorice. Like charcoal. I guess someone would call it friendly black.

His hair was black and his skin was brown. His beard was brown, too, though, and had flames threatening to burn it off of his face. He was scarred and one arm was clearly shorter than the other. But they were both very muscular and shining. Around his wrist he wore a bracelet laden with keys like a mechanic or a janitor would wear, and his ankles had thick cuffs on them, like a prison escapee. He was pretty scary.

Dylan gulped.

"Yeah… um… we're going to take the Kellys to Camp… I mean, if that's – er- okay with you, sir lord god Hephaestus."

Hephaestus chuckled in his booming voice good-naturedly.

"Oh, kids, of course you can go. These sons and daughter of Zeus have been very good companions for the time they were here. Kyla, I'll miss those lovely cupcakes… the smoke from those was some of the best I've had in eons. Terry! You have done my little workshop here a world of good. Remember what it looked like before?" Terry blushed.

"Aw, it was nothing, sir. I really love organizing things. Thanks for, y'know, letting me."

"Not at all my boy, not at all. And Jared…. I forgot how many worlds of good children can do. You know, Hera has been pressuring my wife and me to have children. Thinks it'll save our marriage. I'm like 'Ma, you threw me off the highest mountain in the world when I was a baby. Think I'm ever listenin' to you again?" he gives a booming laugh, "Mothers, huh? Don't love you if you're ugly. And Austin. You have been so fun to hang around and let me teach you my trade. You're a lot better at it than some of my own kids!"

He claps Austin around the shoulders, and Austin breaks a little smile at him, like a son at an embarrassingly proud father.

"This boy can do anything he sets his mind to."

I blush.

"Well, kids. I'm not going to keep you. Heard you all got a fancy deadline from the Big Guy himself. Pray to me every now and then and I'll come through-" he points at the Kellys – "For these little guys here. But before you hit the road out of here, take this sword. Made it for Austin, since he lost his and all."

It's a gorgeous sword. I'm a little envious as Austin balances the blade in his hands, feeling its grip. He sends a general smile around the room from his blue eyes.

"It's awesome! Thank you so much. I've never had one this… perfect before."

"Who do you think I am, anyways?" the god laughs, "I wish I could have made more stuff for Kyla and Terry, but all good things take time. But anyways, here – for Jared – a mini shield."

At least it wasn't a sword, but the kid really had enough fun running around the room bashing us on the kneecaps with it while Hephaestus gave us his final good-byes. He finally had to stop Jared mid-thrust and do the adult thing of taking to kids about how dangerous some things were and to handle it with care. He made him put it away, and it retracted into a watch. Jared was then fascinated, and spent the entire climb down the ladder clicking and clicking the little button, the shield popping out and retracting every five seconds. No one made him stop until we were down, when Ray plucked the watch off his wrist and stuck it in his backpack.

And then we realized that we didn't know where to go. The airport seemed logical, I guess. But we didn't know how to get there.

We had one hundred dollars. We had only a bit of nectar and ambrosia. We had no tickets anywhere.

We stood in a semicircle and stared at one another, each framed by the broken, barren scene.

Kyla looked fierce, with her curly blonde hair waterfalling down her back, her reddish face blistering from the summer sun, and her brown eyes glowing with determination. Dylan stood beside her, just a little in front, in the middle of the semicircle. He had his sword by his side, his blue eyes moving like the tides. Addy was right next to Terry, whose hand was being clutched by Jared's. Jared's other hand was occupied holding his thumb in his mouth. Austin was looking an inch to my right, and for a second I had a delirious hope that he was looking at me until I looked his way. But probably not. No one's thinking about romance right now. He looks as determined as Dylan, his sward clasped in both his hands and his huge black backpack swung over his shoulder.

We have accomplished what seemed like half of our quest: we have found the Kellys.

But we have only just begun.

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	17. Chapter 18  On the Road

**We are bacccckkkkkK!**

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Melia POV

The dust curls around us as the wind picks up in the abandoned theme park. Addy messes with her hair, batting a swirl of dirt out of it. We are separated. Kyla, Austin, and Dylan hunch over a piece of paper laid out on an overturned go-kart. It looks like a map. But I can't tell, because I'm stuck here watching the babies. I decide to march over there and tell the guys over there at "HQ" that it's time for someone else to take my job. I want to decide our next move. We have little more than four days, and with no money for a flight, a bus, a taxi… at this point, anything. Oh yeah, the money? Turned up missing after the flight. All we have is a drachma. The people at either camp cannot intervene. It's so sick. They could watch us die at the hands of monsters, freak nature explosions, or even worse… our own parents. But that probably wouldn't happen, Kyla assured us. She is the only person here to have ever met her godly parent, so we believe her.

I spin on my heel and walk over to the private meeting, hands on hips.

"I'm not going to be left out. Someone else has to watch the others." No one moves. "Well, don't all jump at once," I say, dripping sarcasm.

Kyla shifts in her seat.

"I'm up. Later, guys." And she skips off and picks up Jared, flying him around the park and landing back where they took off, Jared giggling, "Do it again, Kyla!"

I hadn't ever seen her smile before.

We get back to our next move; our plan of action.

And let me tell you, it needs work.

"So, if we can get a cab or something by five o clock tonight, Chiron says there will be a van waiting for us outside some bar in Janesville. Then it'll take us down to Salt Lake City, Utah. We have to make it on our own from there. Maybe he'll give us another message… I don't know." Dylan rests his forehead on his palm, running it down his face and stopping, leaning his chin on it. The classic guy distress move.

"Guys, this sucks," I say, leaning backward into the seat of the old roller coaster box it's sitting on. "It makes no sense and there are way too many variables."

"Well, Melia, do you have a better idea? This is why we Kyla over here because she could offer advice, not just stupid, obvious criticism! So let's hear it! What's this better idea of yours?"

"Keep your pants on! I'm just saying that there are too many ifs! What kind of van? Because I can think of a LOT of vans, many that we wouldn't want to get into! What if we just…. Uh…. We can call my…. No…."

"Yeah, that's a lot better than what I had."

Austin speaks up, and I realize what how close we are to each other.

"Janesville isn't that far away. We don't have money for a cab, and I don't think anyone would pick up eight kids hitchhiking. We'd be picked up by cops or something, and quick. We can probably walk. We're a little bit outside it as it is, so probably a few miles. It's not late. We could make it. And the van… yeah. Not ideal, but we have four days, guys. As it is, these guys driving the van had better be fast. We're wasting time here arguing," he stands up and rights to go-cart, proving he's stronger than I thought he was. I mean, he's a pretty big guy but no bodybuilder. I blush, thinking like that. "Let's go."

After we explain the situation to the other guys, Addy immediately complains.

"Walking?" she screeches, "Wait, for HOW long?"

She gripes even as we crawl under the chain-link fence, back packs slung over our shoulders. She gripes for like, three miles, until Kyla loses it, tosses her into the air, and holds her ten feet above us with the wind. Then, Addy just starts screaming.

One thing about walking is that you actually get to know the people you are walking with. We were spread out a lot. Terry walked alone and in the front, occasionally pointing out, "whoa, did you see the size of that squirrel?' 'A Ferrari!' 'Deer!'" Addy pouted and flew above us. I walked with Kyla, chatting it up, and Dylan and Austin walked behind us, talking quietly enough that we couldn't hear them.

But I got to know Kyla pretty well.

"So, were you guys expecting us when we came? Like, did you know we were going to come because of your dream or anything?"

"No, we had no idea. I mean, we knew who and what we were, but we didn't know about camp or quests or anything. Out mother was… well, she was a movie star in the seventies. You'd know her if I told you her name, but... anyways, when she died unexpectedly, we didn't know what to do. No one else knew we were alone. We were good kids, you know, but we had all been having these weird dreams. I mean, like really weird. They started to affect us. We were sick every day with a fever. We couldn't go to school. All the dreams told us was not to tell anyone mom was gone. It practically killed us, but we buried her in the backyard. Then, in the middle of the night, right after we'd done that," she shudders, "we were kidnapped. Stuffed into black bags, gagged. We were put into a facility-type thing. We were in rooms with shots full of scary-looking things. We were tied down, but we actually flew out of the place, picking up our chairs and all, and flew as far as we could. We dropped here, and we were so tired we could fly for what seemed like forever, and it took a lot of time to relearn. I looked around and got a job at a seven-eleven… but then we met our first monster. No matter where we went, we found one and moved. Then we found this place. It was Austin who was brave enough to go up first and talk to Hephaestus. And we were safe under his protection. That's why we were so scared when you guys got here. We thought Hephaestus had compromised us and let some monsters in to kill us. But we really are glad you guys came. We'll never be able to repay you."

I take this all in.

"This has been the high point of my life, so don't thank me now," I say, choosing my words carefully. "I think we all care about you guys… a lot, now." I say this, then wonder in horror if Kyla thought of her brother. I quickly cover.

"I mean, what with Addy and her little obsession with Terry." I giggle.

Kyla almost cracks a smile. "He's a catch. But he's a little young. I'll tell Dylan to make her back off." She snorts. "If he can even take control of that."

I don't say anything, because I believe my brother is a pretty good leader.

Dylan POV

We had only walked a few miles when Addy got hoisted into the air. After the screaming stopped… man, it was like heaven, I'm telling you! I could hear the girls chatting it up, exchanging life stories and all that, tender emotions, lifelong worried and sore spots. Guys don't share that kind of stuff, and I wasn't about to volunteer conversation.

"So when did you guys find out you're siblings?" Austin asks. I didn't think he really cared, just making conversation.

"Oh, I don't know," I say, "Maybe like last week or something." I crack a smile, and he laughs forward.

"Must be kind of weird. Like suddenly, hey, you have a little brother who needs all this male-figurehood and two little sisters. Addy's pretty adorable, though. And you look like a good guy being nice to a sweet little girl."

"Yeah, and Melia thinks she knows it all. I swear, the most irritating 15-year-old ever, man!"

"I dunno."

"Yeah, whatever." The conversation is fizzling out, but he rescues it again.

"At least I had my whole life to adjust to having Terry and Jared model themselves after me. It's creepy, dude. Like, they always do what you do and stuff. Gets annoying."

"yeah." Recently Ray had decided that he was going to copy the way I walked. He was also bothering me about getting a sword like mine when we got back to camp.

We walk in silence for a while. I'm enjoying the sunset. When I look over at Austin, though, about to comment on how bad it stunk out here, the words die in my mouth.

He's staring at my sister. He's watching her as she laughs with Kyla. He's watching the way her hair shines in the setting sun and how calmly she walks, smooth like water.

I nudge his arm.

"Dude, what are you doing?"

"What? Nothing. Look at the sky. Pretty cool, huh?"

**Thanks for just taking the time to read it.**


	18. Chapter 18

Addy POV

I was absolutely miserable. I was hoisted into the air, nothing underneath me, for hours. What if I fell? I'd die, or at least break a lot of things. And I was so embarrassed! Terry could have NO interest in me now!

But while I was up there, I decided I wasn't interested anymore. I mean, seriously. If a boy can't recognize the advances of an extremely beautiful young lady after all I've done, then I do not want him.

And the flying thing was okay, I guess, because it least I didn't have to walk.

And I heard everyone's conversation.

We made it to Janesville by 3:30.

"Where is this car supposed to be?" asks Melia.

"Yeah, do we have any idea what it's supposed to look like?" asks Ray.

"It's white with a pink strawberry with a face on the side. Apparently it'll be parked in front of the Caliente Diablo, some kind of Mexican restaurant." Dylan says.

"Well, I have to pee," I say.

Dylan and Austin both point at Kyla and go: "You're it!"

Kyla sighs exasperatedly and looks around her.

"Okay, I'm gonna take the girl to the library. See it? Up there? I'll be back in twenty or thirty. Or later. We have some time to kill. But we'll be back at 4:50 by the latest."

Melia suddenly shrieks "there! See it? The Caliente Diablo: Home of the Fiery Burrito of… I can't make out what it's the firey burrito of."

It looks like Taco Bell and McDonald's had an ugly baby. Even the smell emanating from it wasn't that good.

"We should stay here and wait for the truck. Apparently…" Dylan grimaces, "it's a bit of an illegal ride."

We all groan.

"What? Why didn't you tell us this?" Kyla screams, bathroom forgotten.

Dylan defends himself with a sheepish look.

"Agh!" Kyla grabs me by the wrist and stomps off towards the library.

Ray POV

Dylan sits on the ledge and sinks his face into his hands.

I think it would be weird if I went up and tried to hug him, or something. I mean, he is my family, but it's been like that for about a week, and hugging… that's chick stuff.

So I just sat next to him and did the same.

I can only guess what he was thinking of, but me… I was thinking about Alison. It had only been about a week since I'd seen her last, and I missed everything about her, even though she probably didn't even know my name. I dug my hand into my pocket and produced the tiny bag with the golden rings. I meant to grab my phone and see if she'd texted back since I'd done what Anna told me to on the flight to Wisconsin, but getting the rings made me forget about it.

I knew why we had eight.

But I didn't know why we had them at all.

Dylan POV

I'm sitting here, just thinking about how starving I am, when Ray sits down next to me – way too close, by the way – and starts playing with the rings Aphrodite gave us. It's so irritating! And I'm so hungry! And tired! And freaking sick of trekking down the highway with a spoiled brat, an awkward kid, an irritating kid, a whining baby, a bully of a girl, a know-it-all fifteen-year old, and a guy that thinks she's pretty! Really! Is there no privacy for a seventeen-year-old guy? I want to be back at home with my girlfriend, maybe lounging on the beach and kissing. Or eating fondue by an open campfire. Or just watching a movie and cuddling.

Oh, my gods. I'm a freaking romantic.

And all the while, the Caliente Diablo is beginning to smell better and better.

Addy POV

Kyla and I walked up the steps of the library as the sun began to slip towards the horizon. We located the bathroom after talking with the librarian and my bursting bladder made me hurry into the ladies' room. Kyla hung around outside. When I got out, I didn't see her.

My first guess was waiting on the steps outside. But no, not there. Then I checked the bathroom to see if she'd gone in. I thought it was a stupid idea, but then I checked the teen section of the library.

And there she was, covered in books. I'm not even kidding you. Big, tough Kyla, cuddled up in a beanbag surrounded by sweet-smelling musky books. I smiled at her and her eyes, widened in the shock of being discovered, didn't smile back.

"You tell no one I like to read."

I smile more.

"I don't care. Your secret is safe with me." I swoosh my long hair over my shoulder and gracefully join her on the ground.

"Which one should I read?"

She digs around and hands me a plain blue book called _Charm: a Modern Girl's Guide to Beauty._

I laugh at her and open up the book.

We read in silence for what I guess was a half an hour, until soft footsteps approached and Melia was gazing down at us.

Kyla throws up her hands. "Great. Now everyone'll know."

But Melia just collects her surprised expression and blinks her turquoise eyes.

"No, not at all! Just let me hang out with you guys." She sits down back to back with Kyla and wraps a long arm around my shoulders.

"Here," I give her one called: _Children of the Sea._

"Thanks." She opens it and is captured by the world inside.

The three of us girls have barely been reading for ten minutes until Austin arrives. He doesn't seem surprised at all to see Kyla engaged in such a meek activity, and it makes me wonder who Kyla is trying to hide her true self from.

"Hey, guys. I was going to go check out the souvenir shop next door. Anyone want to come? Kyla?"

Kyla shakes her head too quickly.

"Melia?"

Melia looks at him, then around at all of us, the books, and the book in her hands. She sets it down thoughtfully.

"Sure, I'll go," she says.

He smiles a little.

I giggle once they are gone, and Kyla turns around fast.

"What's so funny, kid?"

"Them! They're so in love and neither of them can tell it! Each of them thinks the other doesn't like them! I mean, it's obvious, right?"

Kyla smiles at me secretively, since we both know a secret, and turns back to her book.

"I know nothing about Melia. And I only have my guesses about Austin," she looks in the direction they left, "They're pretty cute together, huh?"

Melia POV

At first, I thought: What is wrong with you? Why did you say you'd go? Are you trying to give yourself a heart attack? Or an ulcer? Or both?

And I was so right! The second Austin and I walked down the steps, my hands started to sweat and I could feel my face go red just being around him. He was so tall and handsome. He almost floated down the steps. I was such a klutz, I tripped on the third one, but suddenly he was beneath me and steadied me. I said quiet thanks, and we kept going.

The souvenir shop was really sketchy. But still, Austin opened the glass door and let me go first, and I kind of smiled at him.

The shop was full of kitschy little doodads like snow globes, alarm clocks, magnets, key chains, pens and erasers… all the typical souvenir stuff. We looked around, the silence between us feeling like ice to me. It was only when I held up a nail file with a horse's butt on it that he laughed and so did I, and the tension became less tangible.

In fact, we even started to talk. He asked me where I went to school and what classes I took. I told him and he told me. We joked about how ludicrous my sister was and I told him her real name, Adonia, and he said that might not be that bad a name.

"When I was in fifth grade, my best friend was a guy named Soccer. His dad was a huge fan and his wife let him name their first kid. She got to name the second, so of course she named the second kid John or something really normal."

"So it's like: There's Soccer and John! Wouldn't it be awful if his middle name was Ball?"

He laughs, "Actually, it was."

And we laugh together. It feels good.

"I never want to have kids," he laughs, "just in case my wife names my daughter Lipstick or something."

"Never! That's terrible," I'm still smiling.

"I guess that's why you don't marry someone insane, then," he says, smiling himself. Then our eyes meet from across a rack of paperweights, and he clears his throat and looks down. All this joking around… it's too familiar so soon.

I cross to the other side of the store to examine a necklace. It's really pretty, all blues and greens. I pretend to be really interested, but of course I'm still digesting our words. And wondering if he is, too.

Its five minutes until he comes up behind me and touches the necklace. It swings on the rack at his touch. I whip around and he's standing only a few inches away.

"You like that necklace? It's kind of pretty," he says.

"Yeah, it is," I say, "it's like the color of the ocean back home."

He's quiet.

"We should probably go," he finally, quietly says.

"Yep, probably."

He again pushes open the door for me to go first. I smile a little at him, and involuntarily throw a glance back at the necklace I want. It doesn't escape his notice.

The sidewalk is littered with empty McDonald's cups and fresh gum and cigarettes. I kick a chunk of pavement and it rolls in front of us. When we reach it again, he kicks it. We continue to alternate, this little activity bringing us together.

I shiver in the pre-dusk. It was kind of cold. I can't explain it. I mean, it's summer and not even evening yet, but it's like a cool breeze just blew through me, causing me to tense up and shudder.

Austin looks over.

"You okay?"

"Just a little cold. I'll be fine."

"Not to be cliché, but… do you want my jacket?" he holds out a gray coat, and I hesitate.

"Thanks," I say, grasping it from him and throwing it on.

Underneath his jacket, he wore only a blue T-shirt. Actually, this was great deal, because I got to be warm and I got to see his awesome arm muscles.

I cannot believe I just thought that.

What is wrong with me?


End file.
